Influential Voices of Authority How To Promote Your Podcast Without Being Obnoxious – Episode 158
It is a given that you need to promote your podcast in order to get the show to grow. Make people aware of the show, and ask them to listen. The process is simple to understand yet difficult to execute. How do you promote your podcast without being obnoxious?
In the marketing environment today, people are tired of interruption advertising. I didn't ask about financial planning while watching the hockey game. Why am I being interrupted with these commercials?
The answer is easy. Ads are the revenue model. That doesn't mean it is smart or effective.
Mainstream media has struggled with this conundrum for quite some time. Radio and television continue to look for ways to share the marketing message without turning off listeners and viewers.
Promoting your show is very similar to selling. We offer a product (your podcast) and then ask people to consume it.
Think about your relationship with commercials. On the surface, you probably generalize and say you hate all commercials and never listen to them.
If we start peeling the onion and examine your interaction with advertisements, I think you might be surprised by your true relationship with ads.
RELEVANCE
For the sake of argument, let's say you are 25-years-old, single, a few years out of college, and living in a small apartment with a roommate. You have no kids and recently got a new job that doubled your income. Got it in your mind?
You are watching your favorite television show when a commercial comes on for Life Alert Medical Alert system. It's that little button elderly people can push when they need help. Remember the "I've fallen and I can't get up" commercial? This is frustrating, interruption marketing that isn't relevant to you. I can see why you hate commercials.
Now, let's say you're watching that same show and you see a commercial for the new 2017 Ford Mustang. This might be more fitting for you. With that new job, you might be in the market for a new car. Maybe it is the Mustang, maybe not. This commercial is a little closer to relevancy.
Let's now envision that same show on your television when a commercial comes on advertising a concert with your favorite band. Holy cow!
All of a sudden, you don't hate advertising as much as you did sixty seconds ago.
First lesson: your advertising message must be relevant.
HELPFUL
Let's think about that same concert commercial. If the ad simply told you the band is coming to town and stopped there, you would probably lose your mind?
What!?! Tell me more! When is the show? When do tickets go on sale? How much do they cost?
Simply telling you the concert is happening doesn't provide all of the information you need. You cannot take action unless you have more detail.
Now pretend you need a new mattress. It isn't something you buy every day. A mattress is a purchase you make every ten years or so. Things have changed a lot in the last ten years. Where do you start?
Google of course.
Mattress companies cannot make the hope find them in a search their entire marketing plan. They try to create some top of mind awareness.
If you have been considering a new mattress when you see a commercial about a mattress sale this weekend. You can save half off brand new mattresses. The store has mattress specialists who can teach you all about the latest technology. You can also lay on various mattresses to find the one you like.
Pretty sweet deal. And, just the information you needed.
When you need the information in the advertisement, and that information is helpful, you no longer hate the commercial.
Second lesson: seek to help first before you sell.
INVITED
The problem with this mattress advertising is the target. The percentage of viewers of that commercial who are interested in buying a mattress is very small. The large majority of viewers are back to hating commercials.
If you want your marketing message to be well-received, you need to have a relationship with the target market. Your audience will be much more receptive to your message if they have asked for the information.
Ask your audience if they are interested. You could ask, "I have a product that solves this problem. Would you be interested in hearing a little more about it?" If your audience says yes, you have an open door to make the offer.
This is where a segmented e-mail list comes in handy. If your listeners have opted into a particular list asking for more information, you can first provide them help and then offer a product or service that offers even more.
If you tell your best friend that you are in need of a new mattress but really have no idea where to start, and they tell you about the mattress sale, I doubt you are going to say, "Hey, stop selling me. I hate commercials."
When you have asked for the information, you rarely see the answer as a sales pitch.
Third lesson: prequalify your target audience before asking them to buy.
TRUST
Do you ever wonder why companies pay crazy amounts of money to celebrities to endorse their products? Michael Jordan for Hanes. Matthew McConaughey for Lincoln. Samuel L. Jackson for Capital One.
Why would a company spend millions of dollars just to get Michael Jordan to talk about their products?
The answer is simple. Trust.
A company can spend a lifetime developing trust. Or, they can buy it.
My guess is you are going to develop it.
After nearly 30 years in radio, I have learned the power of endorsements. Radio advertisers have found endorsements by radio DJs to be very powerful. These endorsements work, because the DJ has built a relationship of trust with the listeners.
As the DJ is talking about the product or service, the listener feels like their friend is helping them solve a problem. It is all built on trust.
If your listener trusts you, and you have their best interest at heart, your sales offer will be seen as helpful rather than obnoxious.
To get to this level of trust, you must first help your listener solve their problems. Give, give and give. We go back to the second lesson of help. If you have spent enough time helping your listener, trust will develop.
Then, if you are offering a solution to their problem within your product or service, your ask isn't viewed as obnoxious.
Fourth lesson: build trust.
So how do we use these four lessons to promote your podcast without being obnoxious?
First, we find the audience that would be interested in your content. It needs to be relevant. So, we fish where the fish are.
Find communities already discussing your topic. Join the discussion. Include the podcast name in your signature without asking for anything in return. Simply get noticed. They will determine if your show is relevant to them.
Next, help people. As you are interacting in those communities, seek to help by answering questions. Get involved. Be a resource for people. Give, give and give. When they see you as someone who can help them they will give your show a try.
Then, get invited to offer more help. As you are demonstrating your knowledge by helping people, others will ask how they might get more from you. When this happens, you can direct them to the podcast.
Finally, build trust. When people trust that you will continue to provide consistent information that will help them, they will subscribe.
As you are interacting with people, avoid constant promotion of the show. Instead, casually mention the show when it makes sense. "We were talking about this very topic the other day on my podcast." "I get this question a lot from my podcast listeners." A casual mention, when it makes sense, can go a long way. Be careful that you don't overstay your welcome by mentioning it too often. This is how you promote your podcast without being obnoxious.
Do you need help with your podcast? E-mail me any time at Coach@PodcastTalentCoach.com. Let's see what we can do.
You can find my podcast and other tools to help you create great content at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com.
Let's turn your information into engaging entertainment.